“That
will never work!”
“I
shouldn’t say this, but . . .”
“Oh,
why don’t you grow up!”
Have
you ever heard yourself say similar things? That’s when I wish I could reach
out, grab my words, and slap them back in my mouth. As soon as they become
audible, I know I shouldn’t have said them. And sometimes I know BEFORE I speak
that I should just keep my mouth shut. But do I? Unfortunately, not always. And
what follows is not helpful, necessary, or kind.
Lots
of Scriptures warn us about the power of the tongue and our need to keep
control of it:
- Ephesians 4:29, 31 No unwholesome talk.
- Ephesians 5:3-5 No course joking or obscenities.
- James 3:2-12 Keep the tongue in check.
- 1 Timothy 4:12 Be an example in your speech . . .
- Colossians 3:8 Rid yourselves of filthy language. Don’t lie.
- Philippians 2:14 Do everything without grumbling or complaining.
- Proverbs 21:23 To stay out of trouble, be careful what you say.
All
of these verses are wise, but how do we gain that kind of control over
something that seems to have a mind of its own? How do we get our tongues to
submit to God’s expectations? According to God’s Word, it all starts in the
heart: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything flows from it.” (Proverbs
4:23)
In
Matthew 6:35 Jesus says, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
Again, in Matthew 12:34-35, He explains: “Whatever is in your heart determines
what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart,
and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.”
How
do we maintain a “good” heart, a heart full of selflessness, love, mercy,
gratitude, and pure motives? Here are a few verses I have found helpful:
- “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.” (Galatians 4:16) Ask the Holy Spirit to guide in all our dealings with others.
- “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8) Getting to know God better makes me better.
- “If we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:9) When the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts are NOT acceptable in God’s sight, we can confess it to God.
- “Dwell on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.” (Philippians 4:8) The old adage, “What goes in is what comes out,” has a lot of truth to it. Turn away from programs, books, and other media that dishonor and displease God. Instead, meditate on God’s Word, listen to praise music, and read accounts of God at work.
- “Pray at all times.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Ask God to help us use the gift of speech with kindness—and tame that out-of-control tongue!
Be encouraged!
Pam
©2018 Pamela D. Williams
